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What I want to do is show the variety of palms growing in the coastal belt of the Pacific coast of Panama specifically in the Chiriquí province, There is a rich variety of Palms and some interesting ones, What I will do start to photograph the different ones I come across and show case them .If anyone has any particular species they want to see let me know, The first photo is of Acrocomia aculeata or its local name is Coroso,This is the view from the property.,it is a very useful palm, nice hearts, and edible seeds, also a very good oil is obtained from it , better than the Elais palms, One thing wrong with it , Its a very spiny palm. but is a dominant palm on the coast .Another very common and striking palm is Attalea butyracea.I have a few on the property and there are plenty on the hill opposite us, It has an unmistakeable shape and is a big palm. Used locally for thatching. One more palm which we have growing on the property and one which grows in the bush near us is Cryosophila guagara a fascinating fan palm which has stunning silver undersides to the leaves and the trunk gets alot of root spines, a very beautiful species. I shall continue with some more palms next time,We are going up our mountain to see what we can find.

Excited to have added a Beccariophoenix Alfredii to the garden. Planted as a 25 gal. All rocks seen around the palm were dug out of the hole it was planted in lol. After marking the spear it’s grown almost an 1” its first day. These are not slow growers here where it will see daily temps of 90-105 in full sun. Look forward to having a yard monster in 10 years.

A local garden near me I lucky enough to visit today with a lot of attention to detail using palms to great affect a grower who loves plants like we all do with a good eye for detail and a passion for gardening has seen this garden grow into something special.

Ovobosiara put on its first ring this morning

Palmy shot at Four Arts. Count the species.

Pinanga miribilis always excites. A fruitful morning.

Ever since visiting Florida when I was much younger I was always enamored by the flora of what I thought was like a "tropical" forestland. Any time I took a road trip south I would keep my faced glue to the window looking for any apparent change in tree and plant life to show itself, palmettos were one of those things I always looked for. This is off the interstate I-75 in Forsyth and as far as I know is the furthest north and inland that I have seen a palmetto growing wild. I would have to drive another hour and a half to see another specimen growing by the roadside, starting in Dublin but even then you don't really see them in force until you get close to Savannah. I say wild because, while I don't know for certain that this tree came here naturally, all the evidence seems to indicate it. It's right on a fence (which the tree has in part destroyed) perfect for a bird who just gorged himself on some palmetto fruits to perch on. There are no other palms planted for decoration in line of sight. And the whole thing is completely unpruned, as old and dead leaves are left on the tree and found lying around the base.

I do think collecting palms is an incurable disease, I have had it now for almost 40 years , it began 11 years after I developed terminal orchid syndrome , I have been fortunate that my wife is a horticulturist like me . so we can share our love of plants .As we have travelled the world we have collected seeds and plants and started our garden In Panama. How you start your palm journey is find the seeds, plant the seeds and start planting them when they get big. we have planted over 5000 palms , some have done well others died , Its experimental , just like life, Here is my my prop area , Its a tempary one while I construct a new bamboo structure, We collect the seeds , clean them , some we soak and put in plastic bags and hang them up to germinate them .others we plant in shallow trays , it depends on size.The last photographs are of me finding a young Desmoncus orthacanthos its a native climbing palm , very similar to Calamus .The palm grows up through the canopy , covers the canopy..

My Chrysalidocarpus basilongus were planted at similar size. One got hit by something dropping on it when still relatively young, so the setback going into winter was insurmountable for it. The other one has thrived. My challenge now is that it is growing at a similar pace as an adjacent Pritchardia, and Chambeyronia houailou. It looks nice but the trunks are all about 5 feet apart in a row, so it makes it difficult to get a full photo. I have a fence on one side and a walkway down the side of my house so its too large to get a straight on photo, except for just portions of the plant. Photos at least provide insights on size and leaf structure. This is a species that grows very differently here than in Hawaii. Specimens in Hawaii all have much more girth in the trunks, while all I have seen in Southern California are much skinnier palms like mine.

Chamaedorea adscendens; cool little palms!

Sunrise over the jungle! Then , a happy surprise from my Dioon Spinalosa. What a way to start my day. Harry

Here's a updated pic of the Louisiana

Planted another one today. Standing almost 2' tall.

I haven't been Downtown in quite some time. My wife had a doctor's appointment in that area the other day and I was able to see these trees. They have grown quite a bit and seem to be very happy in their location. I was able to get a picture albeit not a great picture. I will try to get a better picture the next time I am down there. But, it sure looks like these are long-term where they are...

Yeah, normally June is our driest month, with the monsoons not coming until late July or early August. Alberto brought a couple of inches of rain up here throughout the month

First off, glad to see how well these grow in California, looking good! This is a great garden palm, not too big or small, attractive habit, and unusual color. The grey/green leaves with their long basal pinnae are especially striking. Another bonus is the rose color on the crown shaft after shedding the leaf sheath eventually turning to powdery white. IMO, planting in multiples, rather than singles, just enhance the unique characteristics of this palm. Here are a few pics of the grouping of three in the garden. Note the orange handle shovel in the first photo for scale. Been in ground for 8 years from 1 gal. pots. Tim

Haha, don't think I'd have too much of interest to you Kris! This guy didn't need the money, he was just greedy...stupid or not there's a limit to my tolerance for selfishness. But in general I agree with you, plants are something to enjoy, not fight over.

I’d guess some of the higher elevation Geonoma species would do well and they seem to be under utilised in cultivation probably because they are tricky if temps fluctuate too much. Also some of Euturpe, Prestoea, Socratea, Dictyocaryum, Chamaedorea, Oraniopsis, Laccospadix, Linospadix, Lanonia and maybe even Juania or Lepidorrachis might do well. Possibly Welfia and some of the more unusual Madagascan genera like Satranala would do well. You’ve got a unique climate where you could really show off some unique species for your area of the world.

A recently acquired palm the hapala from Plumtree pocket nursery I had some in tubes but wanted to jump the gun and get one in the ground asap to get one growing as the tubes will a little bit slower now all I have to do is wait 5 years for it to start to put on a show 🌴

Axel, in a few months I could send you several thousand Rhopalostylis seeds ! They could fight it out with Archontophoenix alexandrae.

Filifera roots in Palm Canyon. In the desert.

I'm 81 now and was in great shape until March when I came down w/shngles. Yea I got the shots and still got it. Then as that was clearing up something swelled up below and to the right of my belly botton. After an Ultra Sound, a CT scan and a MRI my Dr's said they don't know what it is but it's not a hernia or any cancer. Pain is gone now but still swollen enough that bending over to put on socks or shoes is uncomfortable. As they say getting old is a bitch but it beats the alternative. LOL Anyway back to palms....I can finally use my weed wacker for the first time in 3 1/2 month. Spent about 3 hours w/a lunch break clearing the "back 40" which is a triangle of land about maybe 2000 sq feet... Some day I'm gonna measure it. LOL. It's the are labled Plumeria Patch. None there now but 40 years ago I was selling the flowers until I realized it was a twice a day job 7 days a week so I quit doing that. That long straight boundary is 700' long. Oh yea it' 2 acres. Here are two photo's before and after. I'll add some of the palms up there. Not to many planted way back there. This is in the lower portion of the "patch" looking at the long straight white line.

I am going to deep water it all week and see if i can get some green growth to push. Thank you.

full sun in one place is not like full sun in another. My own experience with chambeyronias is they are happier in at least part shade, they dont like florida sun, especially western sun. Mine also have better color and are happier in the cooler part of the year. Any palm I plant must have drainage, uniform drainage in the rootball area, no clay clumps in the soil mix near fist size. Drainage/breathing of the soil allows for removal of fertilizer waste and for the new influx of nutrients. I tend to use perlite when possible as an ammendment in poor drainage areas, as it prevents soil compaction in the present and the future. If an 18" deep hole drains in 4 hours you are fine, I think. Dig a hole and watch/time how long it takes. And yes underwatering is a disaster for chambeyronias.

I assumed that the entire plant acclimates but maybe I’m wrong. Sometimes I’ll let the sun burn off 1 frond, as in the palm is half in and half out of the sun. Then start giving the whole palm more and more full sun starting with 2-3 hours a day and seeing how it does. With this palm I thought I read somewhere that they liked full sun at a young age lol Wrong! I put this little guy out in several hours per day sun (right out of the shade cloth) and its not doing too bad but it definitely suffered. If I start to get worried I usually just put a taller chaperone palm next to it for a few weeks. I can say that I did much worse stem/crownshaft damage than that to my P. speciosa and it pulled through just fine.

years ago I switched to distilled white vinegar, its harmless. I put it on when its hot and dry to ensure it works. Alternately you could put weedmat under the granite. The problem with glyphosphate is they didnt safety test it properly and it doesnt decompose. So as you add it it can accumulate in your soil. I used it a few times on small spots before I read about it. I dont use it any more, the vinegar will have to do. https://extension.psu.edu/use-glyphosate-with-care-near-trees#:~:text=However%2C when accidentally over-sprayed,Dr.

There's also this young new one in a public park in escobedo, I hope it fairs well. Looks like it likes being in full sun.

Yes, looks fine - perfectly normal. The powdery white substance on your Chamaerops is called tomentum. Here's a couple shots of mine:

I stay away from glyphosate. I hand pull weeds and suppress weeds with heavy mulch cover applied a few times a year.

Last week I stayed at the newly opened Evermore Resort in Orlando and enjoyed some nice exotic plantings all around the property. The resort opened just this Jan 2024, so these palms haven’t lived through any significant cold events yet, but they will be interesting to watch in the upcoming years. The 8 acre man-made swimming lagoon surrounded by multi story buildings definitely creates an ideal microclimate. For me, the dozens of Satakentia liukiuensis on the sandy beaches stole the show. Also observed was a large Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. 'watermelon', Copernicia baileyana(I believe?), Coccothrinax crinita, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, and Licuala grandis…along with many others. Theres a good chance I missed some other rare palms, as the new $1billion dollar property was quite huge and didn’t have time to walk every sidewalk. I highly recommend a visit.

Was a whopper too! Nice Sonoran blue form too! Pic from 2019 I believe.

I was fortunate to view a vireya breeders garden with some spectacular vireyas in flower he has bred himself so the next time you visit gardens by the bay in Singapore you might recognise some of these flowers as this breeder was the one who supplied some of the vireyas on display along with Singapore botanical gardens and Sydney Australia royal botanical garden a breeder who knows his stuff with some spectacular flowers from his breeding over the years it was great to see such a great collection of plants.

I can relate to those temps. That’s why I’m planting canopy and more and more canopy, as well as shelter belts that deflect cold air drainage to somewhere else.

Gee shouldnt let plants get in between people like that. Lucky it wasn’t me ! I’ve never been to Jonathan’s ! Thought crosses my mind once gifted it’s their choice and best not hold onto emotions so strongly like that. Maybe he needed the money and maybe there’s more to the story but I say you shouldn’t let plants get in between friends or associates. It’s just stupid being that way.

Encephalartos longifolius x horridus hybrid I got a long time ago as an offset pup. I kept it in a pot for a long time, planted it in a bad spot, dug it up and moved it to its current home a few years back. Lots of setbacks so it has been a slow grower for its age. Hopefully it has found its forever home and will keep pumping out flushes. Meanwhile, progress on the Encephalartos horridus "Steytlerville" form flushing its main caudex now. Pups flushed first on this one this year.

We bought a 40 acre piece of land in Panama 18 years ago, it was scrub and cow paddocks, of course this was an incredible chance to go mad, which Michelle and I did, Michelles fruit trees and heliconia's, and my Palms and bromeliads. I collected seed and plants from everyone and every where we went, plus from people I had known and met all over the world .This is the result of 18 years growth. we have a distinct wet and dry season quite a few have reached for the sky quickly some are slower,.What we did was start planting in different areas , there were a few areas that had some very old Acrocomia specimens, they were a problem as they are very spiny and untidy but have a great shape, so we radiated out from them, we also have native American oil palms(Elaeis oleifera) which have the habit of a crawling along the ground trunk. So as the collection of plants grew we expanded out. I planted our Cuban collection on the bank , which I think every seed grew , now its a forest of palms full of snakes, I also planted about 50 Corypha Utan which have gone mad, but impressive .So we left just before covid and have been away for a few years, My son says it looks like Jurasic Park. So I am looking forward to see how things have grow or maybe died.

They actually grow in swamps. Several palm oasis even have fish. I will say it again, they grow naturally in swamps. Those swamps are in the desert. Those palms(filifera) do not grow in the desert, naturally. If they did, they would be everywhere like cactus or creosote. Much bad advice concerning this species including many, many mistruths. This species has an ability to go dormant and that is a survival trait for drought, fire, and cold, that may be unrivaled. Probably what your palm is experiencing now. Probably near impossible to "over water" a growing filifera.

Planted 2 a few year ago from Jeff in 1 gallon pots. One in deep shade that is just a skinny thing. The other gets full sun at times and is doing really nice. This one gets the sun its pushing 4 feet. Shade grown

A little early Monsoon Season Moodiness...

A strange ficus with palm like looks from the Phillipines it should definitely add to the tropical look in the garden over time

Pinanga sp.

I was at Sea World last week. The tall Coconut in the Key West section is still alive. It is probably the oldest long term Coconut survivor in Orlando. I believe it was planted around 1996/97 when the KW area opened. They originally had a couple dozen planted here and around the dolphin pool. There is another near the dolphins but hidden back in the foliage. It has also never put much height on, I didn't get a photo of it. I took this pic at dusk in the rain so its not great.

Hi, checking this thread again after a while inspired me to go out in the garden and taking a look at some candidates... Here we go... C. leptocheilos last fall - and now after some cleaning... Hard to get into one pic but we got something... The first ring! 👍 Seed grown and now approx. eight/nine years old, not a rocket but a steady grower. I got one more... Our local hero - S.liukiuensis... I didn't dare to pull harder for a long time but today I peeled the remains of some old leaves off - Not only the first ring, it has already started to trunk!😄 Keep growing, little beauty! Lars

I think it’s definitely best to try to let go completely once you gift or sell cheap. It really is then the receiver’s to do with what they like. On the flip side, if I ever receive anything as a gift and then intend to pass it on for whatever reason I’ll generally let the person I got it off know first. I got a few palms off a very generous palm nut down here who used to post on PT. I knew I wouldn’t be able to grow all on to maturity here so just let them know I was donating one to a botanic garden. Transparency is always a good rule, it’s when things are hidden and secretive that people can tend to get annoyed. Actually I will admit I got a couple of Heliconis rhizomes a few years back which I now need to stop spreading every growing season. I sell the new rhizomes and stems off every year on fb marketplace. But based on how quickly they go, I’m guessing I’m selling way too cheap although I really mostly aim to spread them to other’s gardens. Sure, partially funding new palm seed purchases is a nice side effect 😆

Yes, the leaf color tells me it's overwatering, in my experience Wodyetia don't like wet feet for a long time, they like to dry between watering. I water mine (which already has a trunk) every 1-2 days and it grows nicely. I don't have any pics of it right now unfortunately.

Hi Dave welcome to Florida and welcome to Palmtalk. This is a healthy looking canary island date palm, Phoenix canariensis. Water and fertilizer I can't give super specific advice for you. Generally this is a drought tolerant species and shouldn't need any additional water this time of year. During the winter I'm not sure how much irrigation if any is necessary. Fertilizer never a bad idea when used correctly. As far as pruning goes, the best thing you can do for the palm's health is remove only brown and dead fronds. CIDP are often overpruned which deprives the palm of nutrients and the cuts to green stems can introduce diseases as well. The growths on the trunk are ferns, you can try to pull them out but they will probably grow back. They aren't hurting anything, they are epiphytes not parasites. The most important advice I have is to be super careful pruning or doing anything near the trunk of this palm, the spines near the base of the leaves are no joke and can seriously injure you. In short, for right now you don't need to do anything at all. Maybe plant some more palms!

Peachy, I was trading plants a few years ago with a character who would come around and sweet talk palm seedlings out of me like a hypnotist. Occasionally he'd turn up with a plant I was vaguely interested in, but really I was more interested in helping him get a good collection growing and didn't worry too much about trade...until someone pointed out that he was selling my plants on Facebook, the little prick! Some people have no pride.

How about Hedyscepe or some Ceroxylons? Seems like they would thrive in your climate. Not sure how much space you have but a bunch of C quindiuense would look cool on the mountainside.

A final Full Moon.. And a sign of balance from above...

Many may have seen Marcus's plants recently, but just in case not all have, here they are this winter